ON BASEBALL; Greene Is a Big Hit As Phils' Top Pitcher

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Everyone knows about the avalanche known as the Philadelphia Phillie offense that's hit the National League this season. Too many teams have spent too much time digging out from under Philadelphia's league-leading 311 runs, 119 doubles and 58 home runs to have not noticed the bruising meted out wherever the Phillies go.

What has been greeted with a lot less notoriety, but has proved to be the undoing of just as many opponents, is the Phillies pitching. It has been just as sharp, just as decisive, and just as commanding as anything coming off the Phillies' bats. And no one epitomizes that sudden burst of confidence and success more than Tommy Greene.

Greene, a slender, 6-foot-5-inch right-hander is the talk of this town, what with his impeccable 8-0 record and league-leading 1.87 earned run average. With each start, Greene's quick work and easy dispatch of opponents more and more suggests a man-against-boys mismatch.

And what has to be scary about Greene is that while he is obviously a standout in the National League, he is but one of several incredible pitching success stories mined from other teams' rosters by General Manager Lee Thomas.

Greene was acquired along with Dale Murphy from the Atlanta Braves for Jeff Parrett, Jim Vatcher and Victor Rosario in August, 1990. Only one of those five players is still paying big-time dividends: Greene. And he is a steal in the same sense as his teammate Curt Schilling (7-1), who was acquired from Houston for Jason Grimsley, a pitcher who now toils in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians.

The 26-year-old Greene epitomizes the excellence of a staff of starters that leads the league in complete games and consistently gives quality starts. Going into tonight's game with Houston, the six starters -- Greene, Schilling, Terry Mulholland, Ben Rivera, Danny Jackson and Jose DeLeon -- had pitched through the sixth inning in 46 of the Phillies' first 56 games and through the fifth in all but four games.

In contrast, no pitcher had completed a game against the Phillies.

"Last year you'd kind of feel a surge if Tommy walked on the mound," said first baseman John Kruk. "But this year, most of our pitchers have been pitching good. They keep us in the game. That's all we ask."

On Thursday night, the Phillies will merely ask for a ninth straight victory from the staff's leading winner. The Mets will be waiting at Shea Stadium, hoping to be the team that can slow Greene's run. But thus far the numbers suggest that Greene very much knows what to do and how to capitalize against struggling teams like the Mets.

This season, Greene is a stellar 6-0 with a 1.36 e.r.a. with five complete games in seven starts against N.L. teams currently in fourth place or worse. Against the last-place Colorado Rockies and Mets, Greene is 3-0, and in three complete games he has walked only 3 and struck out 21.

Such numbers suggest more than a trend; they suggest that the Mets, not the man on the mound, may be in for a long evening.

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"Believe me, it is easy to catch guys like this," said cather Darren Daulton, who has seen Greene complete his last five games. "He reminds me of Doc Gooden. A power pitcher who's developed breaking pitches and has command of them. Guys with stuff like that, they're illegal in seven states."

And Greene is a power pitcher, as a league-leading 7.8 strikeouts per game prove. He wasn't always that way. Rather, Greene was more a submariner with a sinkerball than a hard thrower. But work with the Phillies' pitching coach, Johnny Podres, the former Dodgers pitching great, has had the effect desired by the Phillies.

"Johnny looked at this guy and said, 'You should be coming over the top, letting it go. you can blow people away,' " Daulton said with a smile.

Greene can. He did. And still does, proving that he is a willing learner and, above all, an evolving pitcher with ability that is still blossoming.

"He finally believes he can get hitters out," said Kruk. "Before, I think he was in that doubting period where he wasn't sure. Now, he works quick. He works ahead in the count. And he has the ability to strike out someone when he has to. He don't give up much."

The learning has had as much to do with Greene as with Podres. Like Gooden, Greene has had his bout with adversity. Last year, a pitcher not used to ailments wound up on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. "I've been where he's been," said Greene, "through the arm injuries. And that adversity helps you. You have to learn how to pitch."

Unlike Gooden, Greene didn't have the longevity and a long-established mind-set to overcome. After all, he's only been in the majors full time since 1991. "Learning how to pitch, learning what you want to do is something I figured you do during your whole career," said Greene. "But because of the injury, I didn't have the velocity. I really had to start using the breaking pitches and became a more complete pitcher."

Part of the maturation process included falling into complete sync with Daulton. Watch the duo work and about the last thing you will see is the pitcher shaking off the All-Star catcher. "I've grown up with him as a pitcher," said Greene. "We've learned each other well. I have confidence in him and he has confidence in me."

"It's a plus that we're on the same wavelength," said Daulton. "But remember, if you don't throw with quality you don't win. His stuff is so good, he throws so hard, he could go through games with just the fastball and slider. But add in the breaking pitches and you have 8-0."

A version of this article appears in print on June 10, 1993, on Page B00017 of the National edition with the headline: ON BASEBALL; Greene Is a Big Hit As Phils' Top Pitcher. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe